There was no occasion during Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign of an incoming state visit being staged in the timespan between the calling of a general election and polling day. In 2017, a Spanish state visit by King Felipe VI was quickly rescheduled – following an agreement by the late Queen and King Felipe – because the date clashed with a snap election in the UK. They will spend seven days in the UK, arriving on June 22 to carry out private engagements ahead of the official state visit. The Japanese state visit previously had to be postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2017, the decision to move the Spanish state visit was confirmed by Buckingham Palace three days after Theresa May announced an election.

Source: The Star June 03, 2024 23:11 UTC